Thinia

“My Lord, we have a confirmed magical disturbance, similiar to the usual energy given off by unstable magical items, our initiates were at ground zero.”

A rather plain looking man wearing a thin green cloak rested in his chair staring off into space, as if in another world. His short wavy brown hair was nestled into a cushion supporting his head and neck, his deep blue eyes were half open, showing no sign of interest in anything material. Another man stood in the room, his head bowed down as he delivered his message, he showed no sign of movement, waiting for the other man to return to reality. This man was wearing a brown cloak, hiding most of his features, but his stature, just like the other man, was rather unremarkable.

“I wish that you would hurry up with whatever you seem to be doing, you have not moved in two days, without your ring you would be in a terrible state, my lord.” The messenger pulled his hood back and lifted his head, now directly facing his master.
“I took a look into the details of the siege of Valenwood, particularly those who instigated it, as well as the cults sudden involvement and I have to say, on both accounts I am surprised. The attack was led by captain Gregory Tallham from the outside, along with Avelina Kenthal of whom you are aware of and a certain Nova Ignis, who acted on behalf of the church. Algareth held the gates and a so called Paladin of Bahamut caused confusion among the guards, it was quite impressive.”He paused for a moment to regain his composure and professionalism.
“It is good to know that there are others out there with similiar goals, but I got carried away, the important part is that Horkal was seen by multiple witnesses, as he attacked Claire and Volkarion, it was a close call but it seems someone from the shadows was watching their backs.

Life seemed to return to the shell of a body on the rather unusual throne of leather, oak and cushions. He immediately stood up with purpose and haste, strode over to a large mirror just a few steps away from the messenger and slammed his fist into it with all his might. The mirror cracked on impact, but it was after a menacing purple glow came off of the man’s very being that the mirror shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, which scattered all over the immediate area.

“That was the third mirror in the last two weeks, but I shall go and fetch another, it is clear that I am pestering you, no doubt you have more troubling matters on your mind already. I will tell Katherine to handle thing’s while you are ‘absent’. Say hello to Sickle for me while your in there.” The messenger took a bow, then left the room and the other man returned to the exact same position as before.

My soul. My friends. The trees. The animals. The grass itself. Nothing is safe anymore, because they always come. They keep coming and don’t stop so I fight for all I love and something’s I don’t. I’ve saved the world and fought darkness everyday since my teenage years. But still I am forsaken. I know I’m flawed I know I can be unreasonable and abrupt but maybe it’s because all I know and love dies, no matter how hard I fight. No matter how strong I am. But I am hated. Cursed. Everything I touch withers and dies, the things that surround me fall like a leafy in the autumn of my home forests. No wall stops it and nothing I can do will cause it to cease. Because I fight, because I do what needs doing. I know I’m not what the world wants but the world needs me, whether they like it or not.

I sold my soul for them.

I sacrificed my friends for them.

I gave my life for them.

I gave my walls and men to them.

But still I am hated. I know why and I’m not ashamed. I fight for them because they need me too. So many people I have to care for. My wife, the few friends I have, the council, the princess, the people of thinia, blackfire, greenstone, valenwood and gonsult. Fuck I even have an adopted daughter I now have to raise. How can be there while I’m securing the future of the whole damn world?
Simply put,I can’t but I can goddamn try. I might lose. I might just die again. Though I can get rid the scars on my body I keep them. They show my plight. The plight of a cursed man.

Zodiac Greenfeather
A Cursed Man
A father & fiancé
But most of all
An unwanted protector.

Avelina lay on the king size bed of his lord Zodiac, simply killing time, waiting for Zodiac to get back or for something to happen. A knight briskly marched into the room, looking to be on important business.
“My Lady, as you know Lord Zodiac is away on important business and although it was instructed that Bluestone take care of business technically you are Zodiac’s heir and regent. The Council has been called to meeting by none other than the Order Of Flame Champion my lady, they request your presence in the Lord’s absence”.

Avelina rolled off the bed onto her feet, put her scabbards on her belt containing her two swords, simply nodded to the knight and walked out of the room and down the keep hallway.
“Do we know why a meeting is being held so suddenly, by the champion no less, he never took me for one to talk for hours in meetings”.

“I was simply told milady that it concerned a possible threat to the Flame and Heroes both”.

Avelina splashed her face with some cold water from the well outside and headed to the meeting, talking to some people along the way.
“How are you Tom? Fancy seeing you here, outside your shop, did something happen?”
“Oh not at all, did you by any chance see me near the gates or outside the city recently?”
“No, I just came from Greenstone and you were not there, but of course you could not be there if you are here, surely.”

“No matter, no matter, just if you see me around the area, tell me to get back to my shop or you will have me arrested on the spot.”
With that Tom walked off, heading towards the wizards college, in a hurry it would seem.
Avelina continued toward the meeting, when she arrived, everyone was already there waiting for her, well almost everyone. It would seem that the Orc representative and the Halfling representative had not yet arrived.

“So you are telling me that you let Zodiac not only defeat half your team, but also allowed the other half to flee, never to be seen again?”
The rather commanding, but soft voice of Xios’s superior asked, sounding irritated

“I am deeply sorry my lady, I knew he was strong, but even our anti-Zodiac kill team failed in the task, thanks to some wizard, but he wont be a problem anymore, I heard your old friend Ehlonna has him freeing bunnies and other cute creatures from hunter traps…look, I tried my very best my lady, I did not come back unscathed, I was a half-dead dog, literally.”

“No matter my child, I can forgive you, but only because you have done so much for us all.”

Xios rose from her kneeling position and stood tall, then asked “Would you like me to try again my lady? I wont fail you this time.”

“Leave it be for now, my child. This so called Zodiac has evaded my hand picked kill team, he deserves to live, at least for now.”

A well dressed and distinguished man walked down the cobble road of the quiet, peaceful town. He had the look of a confident man in his wide, happy green eyes. He made his way through this quiet, tranquil village, a village that had clearly never seen war, or even any sort of trouble at all. Everyone seemed very happy, traders sold their goods in the square, all fair deals, people chatted together about simple good things and never did a conversation turn towards a sour topic.

He arrived at the large cathedral near the center of town, the most extravagant church anyone had ever seen. As he walked through the long halls, priests, clerics and monks made quick but respectful bow’s to him, then returning to their duties. The long blue cape with its golden outline dragged across the perfectly cut and spec-less floor. He had left a bag at the front door, containing his arsenal of weapons, potions and scrolls, but the bag was no larger than a small sack and contained more than most could carry. The man walked past a line of his lower ranking brothers, made his way to the back wall, took a deep breath and turned towards these men who were lined up, wearing perfectly matching sets of full-plate suits, all with the symbol of the sun god Pelor in plain view on the chest piece.

“Today we go to war my brothers! My friends! As you know we are needed at the gates to this peaceful land! You know that every 10 years all hell breaks lose for exactly four hours! When we reach the camp and group with our allies, your task is to hold your position, no matter what monstrosities come through that gate!”

The look on the man’s face had become completely serious, showing an ever so slight emotion of fear.

They sat there alone, above the hero’s guild in the recently constructed pool, which zodiac had been tirelessly trying to fill. For a long time they did not talk, they were happy being with someone they knew understood. After a while the silence broken by Avalina asking “did they torture you?”. Zodiac answered simply “they tried often they didn’t always succeed.” “when they did, they went for hours on end. often they would heal me, simply so they could beat me more without killing me.” she nodded “I know” and so that sat hand in hand staring at the stars, never letting go, not even for a second. Timidly, Avalina asked “were all those things you did to those people necessary?” he smiled a grim smile and simply said “To me, perhaps not. To the raging man that lives in my soul and still remembers those days in that cell, being tortured and laughed at like an animal, yes. it was.” With a grim laugh he vaguely “After all what would you do to your captors, had i not killed them all?” she murmured “I… I don’t even…” “exactly” he said. “The statue i made of myself represents who i am. because that statue is just like me. stone on the outside and filled with the faces of bad men who tortured me.” she looked at him, into his eyes that she knew so well and to him she murmured the most valuable words anyone had ever told him. She said “I understand”

“I am sick of your constant failures!” The lord of darkness grasps the green clothed mans throat tight, choking him, holding him 3 inches off the ground against a stone wall.
“You hear me! I am sick of your pathetic failure to kill some little children! You will not return here until they are dead, or you will die by my hand, you little bastard of a thing!”

“My brightest is dead? YOUARETELLING ME THATYOULET MY RESEARCHERDIE! He was to use his curses and knowledge to weaken the heroes when we fought, but now you tell me I have lost that advantage! Now I begin to doubt that you can win. You have messed up EVERYTHING!”

The choke hold becomes so tight that blood starts to pour out of the man’s nose and mouth for a few seconds. No blood left in his head, he waves a hand and appears at the door.
“I will go now…” He is interrupted by his’s boss’s blinding speed charge, slamming him into the ground with large gauntlets.
“I WILLKILLYOU IF YOUFAILAGAIN!!! NO MOREFUCKINGAROUNDYOUWHORE!!!”

The boss lets him go and he runs out the door.
“I am really sorry, I have really grown to like you hero guys, but I must kill you or I will die”.

Chris the Cleric was reading books in the guild’s library when he found a book called “The Creation of Heroes” by Kaltonias. He becomes interested and decides to start reading the book through. He reads it for the rest of the day and through that night…and through the next day and night. He is rather interested by this section and reads it several times.

“I cannot be certain as to how the heroes gain their power, especially considering I am no hero, but from what I have gathered from several members the power of the heroes is something you are born with. This does not mean it passes through the family, just an increased chance. Many have been born heroes out of the blue from commoner families while the children of heroes sometimes fall shorter. What interests me the most is that I have to come to the conclusion that there are multiple ways of becoming heroes, not just birth. In fact, my best friend, who I have known for over 20 years, is one such example. He had a rough childhood, with dragons and gladiatorial combat with other children and all that, but he did not show any real hero powers until he was well into adulthood. Some also say that he had it all along, but that it unlocks at different times for different people, but others think that through heroic action, you can become a hero. Take of this what you want and draw your own conclusions. The next chapter will be about what powers a hero actually gets.”

“Oh man…I need some sleep after all that reading, after eating of course, I feel like I have been in here all night, but without any natural light sources in this place, It could be the middle of the day by now. I better get some rest.”
Chris placed the book in his pack and dragged himself to bed.

The man wearing the green cloak approached the old throne slowly, watching his step as to not bump into any of the rather expensive, lifelike looking stone sculptures. He gave a quick bow to a figure sitting on a large stone throne decorated with runes.

“Hello there again boss…”
“You dare come to me after failing to kill the heroes? Or did you let them go again? I have had enough, you realise that they are becoming a threat? Your amusement is over, do you realise that they are gaining strength at an alarming rate?
The cloaked man fixes his posture, turns around and heads for the door.
“If you want to have fun, have your fun but be careful, they may be the death of you, I suspect that they nearly have a fighting chance against you now…the longer you wait and keep pulling jokes and pranks on my organisation as well as the heroes, the more certain your death becomes. GETOUT OF MY SIGHT!”

He speeds up to a brisk walk, watching his own back when he collides with a sculpture. It hits the floor and smashes to pieces.“Oh no… I am very sorry!”
“Just show me some results this time please, send only your most trusted and most powerful men this time, go yourself if you must.”

Robert: “Wow, that teleport took even more from me than usual. I need a nap.”
Robert started to walk back inside the guild and as he walked past the eating hall, collapsed.

In his dream there was a swirl of pictures, memories and words. From the mess of his filled mind, he steps back with an incantation and views what he has done before, in all its detail.

“Oh bread crumbs and shit, I see why the spell was so difficult, I messed up pretty badly. Oh well, I am sure they will be back soon. They are heroes after all. If all goes well and luck is on my side, they may not even notice the difference…or maybe they will.”